Recording distant video or images through a scope can suffer from a multitude of difficulties.
For example, a smartphone can be secured behind a scope on a rifle. This can be a rather bulky, off-center configuration in which the shooter no longer directly looks through the optics of the scope. Instead of directly looking through the scope, the shooter must adjust to a different positioning (e.g., the off-center positioning since the smartphone camera is located in a corner of the smartphone housing) of the smartphone and the height and width of the display of the smartphone. Typically, the human eye has a hard time focusing on objects that are approximately 3 to 4 inches away, which is the distance of the focused visual cone from the scope and is the normal distance of the shooter's eye from the scope on a weapon. The smartphone configuration alters the shooter's natural position behind the scope since the viewer must focus on the off-center display of the smartphone. This can cause inaccurate and/or inconsistent shots. Further, to locate and/or track a moving target, the shooter must repeatedly look from up close (e.g., approximately 3 to 4 inches away where the display of the smart phone is located) to far away (e.g., down range where the target is located) and back. Not only does this cause eye strain for the shooter, but also impedes the shooter's ability to locate and/or track the moving target. Finally, the smartphone is difficult to optically align and moves out of optical alignment especially when shooting a high recoil rifle.
Some scopes are built with video cameras that employ a display at the back of the scope to display a video image back to the shooter. The shooter is unable to directly use the optic of the scope and instead must rely on the display at the back of the scope. Such scope displays are stressful for eyes focusing on such as a close display, which can make it difficult for the shooter to locate a target (e.g., a moving target). In particular, when the display is located in the scope, the shooter's eyes dilate to adjust to the artificial light of the internal display. When the shooter looks past the scope to locate a target, the shooter's eyes must adjust its focus for the new distance and constrict to accommodate the change in lighting conditions (e.g., from artificial interior light to natural outdoor light). These repeated eye adjustments can be the cause of stress and strain on the eye. Further, since the scope is electronic, the scope cannot be used if the battery runs out of energy.
Finally, standalone cameras (e.g., a point-and-shoot camera) can be mounted on a rifle. However, such configurations are unwieldy. Moreover, the alignment between the camera and the aiming point of the rifle can be inconsistent for the shooter. In addition, the camera does not provide the shooter's view (e.g., a first person shooter's view), but instead provides a view from a different angle and not the view through the scope.
Further limitations and disadvantages of conventional and traditional approaches will become apparent to one of skill in the art, through comparison of such systems with the present disclosure as set forth in the remainder of the present application with reference to the drawings.